Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to hydrocarbon production using artificial lift and, more particularly, to operating an artificial lift system based on measurements of one or more sensed parameters associated with the system.
Description of the Related Art
Several artificial lift techniques are currently available to initiate and/or increase hydrocarbon production from drilled wells. These artificial lift techniques include rod pumping, plunger lift, gas lift, hydraulic lift, progressing cavity pumping, and electric submersible pumping, for example. Unlike most artificial lift techniques, plunger lift operates without assistance from external energy sources.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,634,426 to McCoy et al., entitled “Determination of Plunger Location and Well Performance Parameters in a Borehole Plunger Lift System” and issued Oct. 21, 2003, describes monitoring acoustic signals in the production tubing at the surface to determine depth of a plunger based on sound made as the plunger passes by a tubing collar recess. However, this application based on monitoring acoustic signals at the surface of a plunger lift system is somewhat limited.